Motorcyclist Fleeing Police Dies In Crash

A 17-year-old Palos Park resident died Monday after losing control of his motorcycle during a police chase that began in Palos Park and ended near Midway Airport.

The chase started shortly after noon, when a Palos Park officer clocked Adlai Murrar, of 8611 W. 120th St., doing 61 m.p.h. in a 45 m.p.h. zone at about 125th Street on La Grange Road, said Palos Park Lt. John Murphy.

The officer pursued Murrar through Palos Park and unincorporated Cook County until he abandoned the chase at 107th Street and La Grange, Murphy said. A few minutes later, an Illinois State Police trooper spotted Murrar northbound on the Stevenson Expressway and tried to get close enough to see his license plate number, said Master Sgt. Wayne Winterberg of the state police's Crestwood District office.

Murrar sped off when he saw the officer, Winterberg said, adding that the motorcyclist exited on Central Avenue and went south and then east on Archer Avenue before sliding and striking a lightpole at Archer and Laramie Avenues. Murrar was thrown from his bike, flying 28 feet until he hit a car stopped in the northbound lane of Laramie at Archer, Winterberg said.

Murrar was pronounced dead on arrival at 1:35 p.m. at Mt. Sinai Hospital Medical Center in Chicago, Winterberg said. No one else was injured.